Little Sweetheart

Gu Siyi, embarrassed and flustered, dragged Xia Zhijun out of the classroom.

Once they reached the street, Gu Siyi finally took a breath. The atmosphere inside had been so tense, she'd been on edge the whole time, and with him acting like that, her heart simply couldn't take it.

Gu Siyi said, "Don't talk to the teacher anymore. It's really not a big deal. Being deskmates is fine. I don't really mind…"

Truthfully, seeing the two of them sitting side-by-side sometimes made her a little uncomfortable. But she reasoned with herself, everyone has had different deskmates. She even had a male deskmate in middle school. It was the teacher's arrangement, there was nothing she could do.

"I've told you many times, you're not good at lying." Xia Zhijun lightly tapped her head.

"I'm not lying!" Gu Siyi retorted, puffing out her cheeks.

"Okay, this time, I phrased it incorrectly." Xia Zhijun readily conceded. "You're not good at hiding your true feelings."

"…" Gu Siyi pouted. "I'm not!"

"Oh? So that means you don't feel anything seeing me sitting with another classmate?" Xia Zhijun suddenly sighed sadly, sitting down on a wooden bench by the roadside. "My friend doesn't care about me. I'm unhappy."

Gu Siyi stood beside him, dumbfounded. "What are you doing sitting here? Let's go get something to eat over there."

"My heart hurts. I have no appetite, no energy. I don't want to do anything." Xia Zhijun said, pulling out his phone and scrolling through it.

"…" Gu Siyi stared at his shameless behavior, speechless.

Was this still the super-smart and reserved academic god? Why was he suddenly acting like a sulky child?

Utterly defeated, Gu Siyi tugged at his clothes and said, "I do care…" Her voice was soft, as if coaxing a child.

Xia Zhijun, treated like a child, not only didn't feel awkward but instead pushed his advantage. "Then tell me, how much do you care?"

"…Well, I just… I just feel a little unhappy seeing you next to her. And also, you were explaining the problems to her…"

"I wasn't explaining the problems to her. I was telling her that I didn't know how to do that problem and she should ask Su Han."

"Oh…"

Xia Zhijun looked up at Gu Siyi, toying with his phone, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Are you a little jealous? You're unhappy that I explained a problem to another student?"

"…" Gu Siyi's face flushed crimson. "You're so mean! You made me say it, and now you're laughing at me!"

She turned and walked away.

Xia Zhijun stood up, caught up to her, took her hand, and explained in a low voice with a smile, "I wasn't laughing at you."

"I don't want to talk to you…"

Despite her words, she let him hold her hand. By the time they entered the mall and he bought her a warm drink, two small dimples were gracing her smiling face again.

After strolling around for a while, seeing the girl's cheerful expression, Xia Zhijun couldn't resist pulling her into a corner of the stairwell.

Taking advantage of the lack of passersby, he pulled her into his arms.

She lifted her blushing face, and he lowered his head, gently kissing her cheek, then softly capturing her lips…

Gu Siyi's body trembled, and she instinctively tried to escape from his embrace.

Xia Zhijun held her tightly, whispering in her ear, "We were apart for so long during winter break, and you've been giving me the cold shoulder for a week since school started. Now you won't even let me hug you?"

Gu Siyi was incredibly embarrassed. "…Who's giving you the cold shoulder?"

"If you dare treat me like this again next week, I'll hug and kiss you right there in school, believe me." He nibbled on her earlobe, his voice a husky threat.

"You're so domineering…" Gu Siyi murmured softly.

Highly intelligent people are never easy to deal with, possessing a strong sense of control and a desire to take the lead.

The two dated until evening, and Xia Zhijun reluctantly escorted Gu Siyi back to school.

Before going to bed, he sent her a WeChat message. No longer daring to be perfunctory, she thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask: "How did you know I was upset because of Zhang Yin?"

Xia Zhijun replied: "Process of elimination. She was the only variable during this period."

Of course, there was also intuition.

When you deeply love someone, you can perceive any subtle change, even a slight frown.

Gu Siyi: "You still shouldn't talk to the teacher. Really, it's not good."

X: "I have other methods. Don't worry."

…Other methods?

On Monday, Gu Siyi finally understood what those other methods were.

Zheng Peipei went to the homeroom teacher and said, "I want to switch seats with Xia Zhijun."

The homeroom teacher was stunned. "Why?"

"I like the new student and want to be her deskmate."

"…" The homeroom teacher looked at Xia Zhijun and asked, "Are you willing to switch seats with Zheng Peipei?"

Xia Zhijun said calmly, "Sure, I don't mind. It's the same to me who I sit with."

The homeroom teacher looked at Zhang Yin and asked, "Zheng Peipei wants to switch seats with Xia Zhijun and be your deskmate. Are you willing?"

Surprise flickered in Zhang Yin's eyes. After a moment, she nodded. "Yes, I am."

"…" Since everyone agreed, the homeroom teacher let them do as they pleased.

After Zheng Peipei returned, she began moving her things.

Gu Siyi stared blankly as she packed. Zheng Peipei pinched Gu Siyi's arm and said, "Aren't you going to help?"

Gu Siyi snapped out of her daze and helped move things.

Soon, their seats were switched, and Xia Zhijun was sitting next to Gu Siyi.

Xia Zhijun looked at her, smiling without saying a word.

"…" Gu Siyi lowered her head, burying her face, and sent a message to Zheng Peipei.

Gu Siyi: "Why did you leave so suddenly?"

Peipei: "Hee hee, doing a favor for my good buddy!"

Gu Siyi: "…I'll miss you T-T"

Peipei: "Your academic god is too popular, you have to keep a close eye on him! We're still together, just across the hallway [grinning]"

Gu Siyi: "You're such a good person QAQ"

Peipei: "Lest you cry later, I've decided to confess. I also came over here to keep an eye on my Su Han."

Gu Siyi: "0-0"

Peipei: "What if I sit behind or in front of Su Han and he takes the opportunity to build a relationship with someone else?"

Gu Siyi: "Sister Peipei's thinking is so meticulous…"

Gu Siyi: "[wide-eyed] [wide-eyed] Is Su Han yours?"

Peipei: "Anyway, I can't let anyone else have him! [haughty]"

Xia Zhijun lightly tapped Gu Siyi's desk and whispered, "Time to study. Don't chat all the time."

"…" He was already bossing her around after just becoming her deskmate. Gu Siyi grumbled silently and put away her phone.

Within a couple of days, Gu Siyi felt like the epitome of hypocrisy. A few days ago, she'd said it was no big deal, but now, every time she entered the classroom and saw Xia Zhijun sitting next to her, her heart fluttered uncontrollably. It was a stark contrast to how she felt seeing him sit with Zhang Yin before.

Of course, it would be even better if he didn't hold her hand all the time…

Meanwhile, Zheng Peipei and Zhang Yin were getting along well. Initially, Zheng Peipei harbored a subtle animosity towards Zhang Yin, but the girl was too gentle, like a soft dough ball, with no temper at all, always wearing a quiet and gentle expression. Zheng Peipei wasn't one to pick fights, so gradually, the two developed a deskmate friendship.

Hearing Zheng Peipei's assessment of Zhang Yin, Gu Siyi's impression of her also improved.

During PE class, they even played ping pong with Zhang Yin.

Lu Jiaye walked over with Xia Zhijun and the others. Seeing the three of them getting along so harmoniously, Lu Jiaye couldn't help but comment, "People are so fickle…"

Zhou Xiao: "How so?"

Lu Jiaye: "A month ago, they were like fire and water with the new student. Now that they've switched deskmates, their relationship is harmonious."

Su Han chuckled. "Peipei is a warm and cheerful girl, not a tyrant."

"Zhijun must be the happiest, right? The girl transferred classes for him, and not only did it not create a crisis, but it also allowed him to smoothly become deskmates with Dimple." Lu Jiaye clicked his tongue. "Zhijun, a winner in life."

Xia Zhijun put his hands in his pockets and glanced at him, a playful expression on his handsome and proud face.

"Look, Zhijun's so smug, he's just short of a tail to wag… Ahhh! Help! Xiao Ge, help!"

"What's it got to do with me? Get lost!" "But I said what you were all thinking…"

Su Han added, "No, no, that was just one person's thoughts."

Zhou Xiao and Su Han watched with amusement as Xia Zhijun dealt with Lu Jiaye.

The group took a break from their game. Seeing the boisterous antics of the boys not far away, Zhang Yin smiled. "Lu Jiaye is so funny."

Zheng Peipei corrected her with a smile, "No, he's annoying, a venomous-tongued monster."

"He's not that bad, just a bit of a chatterbox." Gu Siyi laughed.

The early spring sunlight fell upon the boys.

They were just like that, warm and dazzling.

During break time that day, Zhang Yin walked over with a test paper and said to Xia Zhijun, "Su Han and I can't figure out this problem. Can you take a look?"

Xia Zhijun took the paper and said, "Let me think about it. You go back first."

Zhang Yin nodded and returned to her seat.

Xia Zhijun showed the problem to Gu Siyi and asked, "Can you do it?"

Gu Siyi took the paper and scribbled furiously on some scratch paper. Finally…

She couldn't solve it.

She couldn't help but complain, "This problem is so weird. It doesn't look difficult, but it actually is."

Xia Zhijun picked up a pen, circled the key conditions, and analyzed the intention of the question and the problem-solving approach…

Gu Siyi nodded repeatedly, suddenly enlightened. Under his guidance, she completely grasped the problem.

Xia Zhijun said, "Go explain it to them."

"Me…?"

He patted her head lightly. "You're my only closed-door disciple."

"Oh, come on."

"Go on. Don't embarrass your master."

Closed-door disciple Gu Siyi, carrying the test paper, walked over to Zheng Peipei's side, gathered the three of them together, and explained the problem.

Su Han nodded, praising Gu Siyi, "Dimple, you're getting better and better. Your thinking has the academic god's flair."

Gu Siyi smiled shyly. "He taught me, after all…"

After Xia Zhijun had done this a few times, everyone stopped asking him questions and went directly to Gu Siyi instead.

Gu Siyi became even more popular in the class because, unlike Xia Zhijun, she wasn't aloof and would help as much as she could.

When some boys, harboring good feelings for Gu Siyi, deliberately came over to ask questions as an excuse to talk to her, they hadn't even managed to put on a friendly expression before being scared away by Xia Zhijun's icy glare.

Day after day passed in a blur of diligent study and playful banter during breaks. Soon, there was only a little over a month left before the final exams.

Xia Zhijun said to Gu Siyi, "Since you plan to study science, you can give up on the liberal arts subjects. Don't worry about those scores."

"Oh…" Gu Siyi knew this was the logical approach, but she was afraid that her liberal arts scores would drag down her overall score, making it look bad. However, since the academic god had said so, she felt relieved to treat geography, history, and politics as supplementary sleeping aids.

Gu Siyi made it her current life goal to attend the same university as Xia Zhijun and put all her effort into it.

Sometimes, after studying too late the night before, she inevitably felt sleepy the next day. Xia Zhijun would use special methods to wake her up, such as unexpectedly nibbling on her ear while the teacher's back was turned, or secretly holding her hand under the desk. Gu Siyi would become incredibly flustered, unable to sit still, and her sleepiness would vanish instantly.

It had to be said that since becoming deskmates with Xia Zhijun, her study efficiency had greatly improved.

He paid attention to her studies seamlessly from class to breaks to evening self-study. He would outline the key points for her, making it impossible for her not to learn.

One night before bed, Zheng Peipei, looking at her phone, suddenly said, "Yi Ge, isn't your birthday in a few days?"

Gu Siyi checked her own phone. "It is! The academic god and I have the same birthday."

Both their birthdays were on May 23rd, which happened to be this Saturday, a day off.

"Wow, you two have the same birthday? Then you have to celebrate it properly!" Zheng Peipei said excitedly.

Gu Siyi started brainstorming. What birthday present should she get him?

He liked photography. Should she get him a lens?

Once the idea came to her, Gu Siyi decided that a lens it would be.

On Thursday, Gu Siyi received a call from her family.

Xu Jiahui said, "Darling, tomorrow is your birthday. Your dad and I are coming over to celebrate with you."

Gu Siyi was a little troubled. "My classmates have already planned to celebrate my birthday too…"

"We'll come and have dinner with you all, and then you young people can go off and have fun on your own."

At midnight on Saturday, Xia Zhijun sent Gu Siyi a voice message: "Happy birthday."

Gu Siyi smiled, snuggled under her covers, and pressed the voice message button to reply softly, "Happy birthday to you too."

The next day at noon, Mr. and Mrs. Gu booked a large private room at a five-star hotel in the city center to celebrate Gu Siyi and Xia Zhijun's birthdays together.

Everyone gathered around a table, filled with excitement. Each person had prepared two gifts, one for each of them.

Zheng Peipei laughed. "This is the first time I've seen this. Born in the same year, the same month, and on the same day! You two are truly fated. You should get your marriage certificate on this day too in the future."

Gu Siyi coughed twice and glared at Zheng Peipei.

Fortunately, Gu Siyi's parents were sitting far away and didn't hear. Zheng Peipei made a face.

During the meal, Gu Siyi's parents raised their glasses to the students. "Thank you all for celebrating Siyi's birthday. You friends are the most precious treasures in Siyi's life. We hope that in five, ten years, you will still be good companions, studying and playing together."

Everyone was a little moved.

Lu Jiaye raised his glass and said, "Absolutely! Let's make a pact right here, right now. No matter where we are in the future, Zhijun and Siyi's birthday will be the day we gather together!"

Zheng Peipei enthusiastically responded, "It's settled! Whoever's absent is a dog!"

Su Han smiled. "Okay, May 23rd. I'll remember it."

Zhou Xiao echoed, "May 23rd. I'll remember it too."

Xiang Li and Zhang Xinyi also chimed in.

Xia Zhijun smiled slightly. Boys weren't usually sentimental, and he rarely expressed his feelings to his friends, but he spoke from the bottom of his heart. "Thank you."

Everyone clinked their glasses together.

That day, the May 23rd pact, became a commemorative day of youth for this group of friends.

After dinner, Gu Siyi's father thoughtfully arranged for them to go karaoke. Knowing that young people felt constrained with elders around, he and his wife left shortly after. The group reveled in the private room.

A five-tiered cake was wheeled in, candles were lit, and the lights dimmed.

Xia Zhijun and Gu Siyi were pushed in front of the cake to make a wish.

Gu Siyi closed her eyes and silently wished: I'm so happy this year. I have loving parents, a group of good friends, a wonderful boyfriend, and precious memories. Although studying is hard, my grades are improving rapidly, and I have the academic god by my side… I feel incredibly lucky. My seventeenth birthday wish is for this happiness to continue, and for everyone to be well.

As Gu Siyi made her wish earnestly, Xia Zhijun stood beside her, watching.

His wish was simple: to be with this girl for a lifetime. Her smile was enough to light up the rest of his life.

The moment the candles were blown out, Xia Zhijun lifted Gu Siyi's chin, leaned in, and kissed her.

It was the first time everyone had seen them kiss, and they erupted in surprise.

"Bonus scene! Ahhhh!"

"Single dogs critically hit with 10,000 points of damage!!!"

"You two, go easy on us single dogs, okay?"

"Zhijun, whipped. There's no saving him."

Xia Zhijun kept the kiss brief, releasing Gu Siyi's flushed face.

Someone started throwing cake, and a chaotic food fight ensued.

Everyone focused their attacks on the two birthday stars, and Gu Siyi shrieked and hid in Xia Zhijun's arms…

No one was singing anymore; the original soundtrack provided background music for this joyous moment.

"Will there be a day, when time truly rewinds,

Back to your and my, irretrievable youthful years,

Perhaps there will be a day, when the world truly ends,

I'll still raise a glass of sweet memories with you, and have another drink with you…"

The room was a mess, and no one bothered to clean up.

When the song "Cheers" started playing, Gu Siyi grabbed the microphone and began to sing.

Xia Zhijun came to her side and sang along. Su Han, Lu Jiaye, and the others joined in, and Zheng Peipei also came over.

During the instrumental break, Zheng Peipei, like a conductor, announced, "Chorus! Ready, go—"

"Eventually there will be a day, when we all become yesterday,

It was you who accompanied me through this fleeting life,

One day is today, today is one day,

Expressing the gratitude I've never said to you, and have another drink with you,

Another drink forever, drink it and live for ten thousand years, year after year…"

Those with microphones and those without, those who sang well and those who were off-key, all sang along at the top of their lungs, without restraint.

"Time has stopped, we've all returned, those we miss, waiting for your arrival,

Time has stopped, they've all returned, those we miss, waiting for your arrival…"

They played until the afternoon. Xia Zhijun booked a place for everyone to have dinner. After dinner, he took Gu Siyi and left.

Everyone expressed their understanding. After all, they were a couple and needed some alone time. Staying out late was perfect.

When Xia Zhijun led Gu Siyi onto the subway, she had no idea where he was taking her.

It wasn't until they arrived outside a huge stadium in the city center, seeing crowds of young people coming and going, holding glow sticks, wearing headbands, and with painted hearts on their faces, that she understood. The excitement was palpable.

Xia Zhijun continued to lead her forward, and finally, she saw the giant poster for the Mayday concert.

Gu Siyi's eyes widened in surprise. "It's their concert today?"

Immersed in her studies all day long, in the intense academic atmosphere of Longxing, no one paid attention to concerts. Gu Siyi had been completely unaware.

"Yes, what a coincidence, right?"

"Haha, that's great! Mayday is holding a concert to celebrate our birthdays."

As they approached the ticket gate, Gu Siyi said, "Let's go buy tickets over there."

"I already bought them." He took out the tickets and handed her the first one. "Let's go."

Gu Siyi took the ticket with a beaming smile. Seeing that it was a VIP seat, she said, "This is so expensive…"

"It's not expensive if you like it." Xia Zhijun took her hand and joined the queue, waiting to go through security.

They took their seats and looked back, seeing a vast ocean of glow sticks.

This was Gu Siyi's first time at a Mayday concert, and her heart was filled with excitement and joy.

When the concert started, she waved and cheered along with the audience.

Seeing her happy expression, Xia Zhijun suddenly felt that not buying her a glow stick to wave was a mistake.

Gu Siyi took out her phone and took a selfie of the two of them, the vast sea of shimmering lights behind them. She was beaming, and he was smiling gently.

She posted a collage of four photos on her WeChat Moments with the caption: "Birthday, came to see the Mayday concert~ Yay~"

"Walking in the wind, today suddenly feels so warm, the warmth of the sky, the warmth of the earth, like you holding me…"

Gu Siyi sang along with the entire audience. Beside her, Xia Zhijun held her hand and watched her sing.

After rocking out for most of the concert, Gu Siyi's voice was hoarse.

Xia Zhijun handed her some water. "Take a break."

Gu Siyi drank the water and sighed. "I'm getting old, I can't sing anymore. I'll leave the stage to them."

Gu Siyi had only just rested for a moment when the prelude to "If We Had Never Met" started playing, and she became excited again. "Ahhh… This is my favorite song! Help me up, I can still sing a little more!"

Xia Zhijun was amused. Even watching her enjoy the concert was entertaining.

As the concert ended, Gu Siyi felt a little lightheaded. Xia Zhijun led her to a large locust tree.

He took out a gift box and handed it to her. "Your birthday present."

Under the streetlight, Gu Siyi saw the Cartier logo and froze. "This brand is so expensive!"

She slowly opened the box and saw a stunningly beautiful necklace.

An 18k gold necklace with inlaid ceramic rings, a small panther gracefully perched on top, black lacquer panther spots, onyx nose, and tsavorite garnet eyes, the necklace also set with diamonds.

Everyone has a love for beauty, especially young people, who cannot resist such exquisite and unique things. Seeing this necklace, Gu Siyi was almost breathless.

However, knowing that this brand was very expensive, with even ordinary bracelets selling for tens of thousands, she didn't dare to imagine the price of this intricately crafted necklace inlaid with jewels.

She closed the lid and handed the box back to Xia Zhijun. "No! You can't give me something so expensive! We're still students!"

Xia Zhijun took the box, opened it again, took out the necklace, and said, "Yes, it is expensive. I spent the entire winter break working on a project, and I used all the money I earned, including my previous savings, to buy this necklace."

"To buy this, I'm temporarily bankrupt." He held the necklace and put it around Gu Siyi's neck.

"Then why did you buy it… Return it…" Gu Siyi tried to avoid him.

"But I wanted to give you a promise on your seventeenth birthday. The best gift I could possibly give." He leaned closer and fastened the necklace for her. After it was secured, his fingers gently brushed against her neck, then her cheek. Looking into her eyes, he said, "So, you have to wait for me."

"…" She stared at him, mesmerized by his deep gaze.

"Don't leave, don't get lost. You must wait for me—until the day I marry you."

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